UFC reaches deal with Disney/ESPN

tithas said:
How is it even more money? Fightpass is 10, this is 5 and will have more fights than fightpass......It also appears that if you have a ESPN+ you will get FP for half off, so it will still be 10 to have both.
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Yep. Just another reason to bitch and moan.
 
SRTtoZ said:
ESPN+ Are they serious?? I mean I'm as hardcore about MMA and grappling as they come but jesus, I won't sub to that shit. Maybe give it a free trial but I need an app for this shit? It's not an actual channel? So fight pass on top of that? WTF IS THIS.
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If you "won't sub to that shit", then you are definitely not "as hardcore about MMA and grappling as they come".

Its not like trying to figure out how to program a VCR from 1980, do you have a computer? Do you know how streaming works? It won't cost you anything more per month in 2019 to have both ESPN+ and Fight Pass than what Fight Pass currently costs.
 
Basically, you can have ESPN+ or Fight Pass. If you have both, it's $10 a month like original fight pass. Additionally, these cards will be the same cards the UFC was going to put on fight pass anyway. The actual TV portion is still up for sale. They're basically getting two companies to pay for stuff once they get the tv deal.

At the end of the day, the UFC is getting $150 million for stuff they just threw on FP. That's a win for them.
 
Look forward to a random Korean sanda person KO'ing whoever Invicta's best atomweight is on a contender series tournament.
 
For all of the so-called business experts that claimed the UFC was dying and that WME (Endeavor) had no clue as to what they were doing, this is how business is done. WME has completed the first of two deals that will generate nearly the $400 million per year goal that it set. Most people on this board thought the goal was not realistic. They were wrong.
 
Northjayhawk said:
If you "won't sub to that shit", then you are definitely not "as hardcore about MMA and grappling as they come".

Its not like trying to figure out how to program a VCR from 1980, do you have a computer? Do you know how streaming works? It won't cost you anything more per month in 2019 to have both ESPN+ and Fight Pass than what Fight Pass currently costs.
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The value is not as bad as I thought now knowing it will have the fight pass library minus the original stuff I think. Still, its annoying that you will need to have both subs to have everything. Also just because I don't want to pay for something does not mean I won't watch it.
 
Wow... ESPN is failing and they finally decide to cover the UFC and MMA with some veracity?

Congrats to the new leadership on making a good decision finally. I quit watching ESPN for two reasons... (1) They barely covered MMA; and (2) they got all left wing PC political like little bitches and I don't need that in more sports.
 
Cable UFC is dieded
 
Whippy McGee said:
Wow... ESPN is failing and they finally decide to cover the UFC and MMA with some veracity?

Congrats to the new leadership on making a good decision finally. I quit watching ESPN for two reasons... (1) They barely covered MMA; and (2) they got all left wing PC political like little bitches and I don't need that in more sports.
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They are still turning a profit in a down time for TV in general.
 
So the PPVs will be separate and run by the UFC or does Disney run it or what? Can't wait for UFC 230 brought to you by Frozen 2 or some shit.
 
Team Sleep said:
No. Espn has non exclusive access, which means you can have one or the other. You can only watch those 15 shows live on the ESPN plus app though if I’m understanding correctly.
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Here’s a breakdown of what ESPN is getting from the UFC:

  • 15 live 12-bout “UFC on ESPN+ Fight Night” cards
  • Exclusive, all new-seasons of Dana White’s Contender Series
  • Exclusive pre- and post-event shows for all 15 live events
  • Access to UFC’s full archive of programming, including its library of past bouts
  • A new original, all-access series produced by the UFC
  • Additional UFC-branded content, including “UFC Countdown” shows, press conferences, weigh-ins, and pre-and post-shows
source MMAJUNKIE.com
 
tithas said:
Which profit? ESPN is paying the UFC for broadcast rights for their shows. ESPN gets whatever advertising revenue or anything related to said broadcast. UFC keeps gates, tickets, cage sponsors, etc. basically anything not related to the actual broadcast and its rights.
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Right that's what I meant. Anything related to the broadcast.

And I guess ESPN has the rights to distribute the content to other networks for replays etc
 
@FrankieNYC

Do you think the combined Fox/ESPN deal will mean more events per year (even if there will be less PPV's)?

In case the UFC will have to do more events per year, i wouldn't be surprised if they would use some of that new money to go on a spending spree and sign some fighters from Bellator and other organizations btw.
 
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SeverianB said:
Let me get some things straight:

-15 Fight Night events a year on ESPN+, a newly launched, niche online-only network.

- In 2017, there were 22 events on FOX stations, including ones on Big FOX, which is free and gets a lot more exposure than any other broadcast medium.

-How is this not a negative for the UFC?

-How about all the supplementary programming, such as UFC Tonight, event replays, etc. that were constantly playing on FS1 and sometimes Big FOX? If you went into a sports bar, there was almost always a few TVs tuned to FS1 playing UFC programs any time of day. Will the UFC still get this extra exposure on ESPN channels? Will UFC Tonight be on ESPN 1 or 2 or 3 or will we need to boot up an app to watch it?

I don't see how this isn't a net negative for the UFC. If they still have a few big events on free TV somehow, via ABC, NBC or CBS to make up for the removal from FOX, that may take some of the sting out of it.
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why do you assume that ESPN's events are coming from teh "22 Fox" events pool, and that Fox arent moving forward with the UFC still?

How do you know these 14 events are the old Fightpass only events, plus some brand new ones..?


and where in any of this did you read that they are leaving fox?
 
If you get the Fight Pass library with it for $5 then it's a great deal.
 
So for those of us with a recent year long Fight Pass membership already paid for, do we get refunded the money to get ESPN+?
 
FrankieNYC said:
Fans can subscribe to ESPN+ for just $4.99 a month (or $49.99 per year). To subscribe, fans simply download or open the ESPN App (or visit ESPNPlus.com). In addition to live, exclusive events, the lineup of UFC content available to ESPN+ subscribers will include:
• Exclusive, all new-seasons of “Dana White’s Contender Series” beginning in June 2019
• A new original, all-access series produced by IMG Original Content
• Exclusive pre- and post-event shows for all 15 “UFC on ESPN+ Fight Nights”
• Non-exclusive access to UFC’s full archive of programming, including historic events, classic bouts, and original programming
• Additional UFC-branded content, including “UFC Countdown” shows, press conferences, weigh-ins, and pre-and post-shows

In addition to the live events and content included in the ESPN+ subscription, fight fans will be able to purchase and watch UFC FIGHT PASS® (UFC’s DTC streaming offering) and UFC PPV events via ESPN+, for a separate cost.


-

I don't see what FP will be for in 2019.
According to the wording, ESPN+ will have "full archives"
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fightpass will be for the non americans, regions with no ESPN+



This is how im seeing it..

ESPN+ in the USA will basically be fightpass with 12 extra events
ROTW will get Fightpass with all the ESPN stuff thrown in

Great thing about streaming events is they dont care about underrunning and we dont get 12 hours of fillers and shit.. its fights and walk ins..



Ah, here we go, from the espn+ launch

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so its only in North America

So basically, in the US, all UFC fightpass content including Contender Series, 14 events, archives etc will move to ESPN+

US Fightpass would be pretty watered down with im guessing just early prelims, and invicta, cage warriors etc.

Outside the US, fightpass, and I would guess that Contender Series and the 14 events will be on fightpass in those regions. Highly unlikely they say "sorry rest of the world, we arent giving you shit"

I would be amazed if those 14 events and DWCS were US only.



bigger issue is how a migration of subscribers in the US from fightpass to espn+ would inpact the likes of invicta etc who are on fightpass
 
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Meathead Jock said:
So for those of us with a recent year long Fight Pass membership already paid for, do we get refunded the money to get ESPN+?
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this doesnt start till 2019 so at most 4 months crossover
 
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